Bodle Harold Image 1 Birmingham City 1946

Description

Adwick-le-Street, Yorkshire born inside forward Harold Bodle joined Rotherham United in May 1938 from Silverwood Colliery, where he had begun his football career, making his Football League debut against Rochdale that August. He played less than half a season at Millmoor making 10 appearances before being signed by First Division club Birmingham in December 1938. He played once for Birmingham in a 1-1 draw with Grimsby Town in February 1939 before his career was then interrupted by the outbreak of the Second World War in September 1939.

Bodle played returned to St Andrew’s after the War, and was part of their 1946 FA Cup semi final team beaten by eventual winners Derby County at Maine Road, scoring 3 times in his 10 Cup appearances during the run. Described as “a skilful player, he has a deceptive body swerve and is the brains of the attack”, Bodle scored a hat-trick against Plymouth Argyle in a 4-1 win in December 1946 was Birmingham’s leading goalscorer in 1947-48 when they won the Second Division Championship. He scored 38 goals in 109 games for The Blues before joining Second Division club Bury in March 1949, where he remained for three more seasons top scoring in 1951-52 with 20 goals in their campaign before joining Betteshanger Colliery Welfare after 41 goals in 124 appearances.

He joined Stockport County in October 1952 playing a single season at Edgeley Park and scoring 9 goals in 32 games, before a move to Accrington Stanley in August 1953, where having played his last match in September 1956 and having retired as a player, having scored 14 goals in 98 games in four seasons as a player for Stanley, he became their manager in June 1959 for the 1959-60 season leaving the club in April 1960.